Fans can’t believe Denzel Washington’s timeless looks in the new Gladiator II trailer.
The Sir Ridley Scott-directed sequel to 2000’s Gladiator, also starring Paul Mescal and Pedro Pascal, is on its way – and it’s already caused quite a stir.
The trailer for the film was viewed by 128million around the world across social platforms including Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, YouTube, and X in its first 24 hours, breaking records and becoming one of the most viewed trailers of all time.
There’s plenty to focus on in the new trailer, including Paul Mescal battling a rhino and an unrecognisable Stranger Things star.
But some fans couldn’t keep their eyes off Denzel Washington, 69, who plays Macrinus – Paul Mescal’s character, Lucius’, gladiator sponsor – in the new film.
At the beginning of the trailer, over a flashback to Russell Crowe in the original film, Mescal says: ‘I never forgot it – that a slave could take revenge against an emperor.’
Denzel then says he will use Paul as his ‘instrument.’
Fans were thrilled to see Denzel on screen again, but some wondered how it was possible that he looks so young.
@Rihanatsona wrote on X: ‘I don’t know how I’m supposed to act😫. A 60+ man is the oldest and hottest man in this movie.’
While Reddit user CalendarAggressive11 wrote: ‘That man ages like the finest wine.’
But at 69, does Denzel really look as ageless as he appears in the trailer, or has his appearance been altered with the help of CGI?
De-aging technology is being used increasingly often in cinema, with Harrison Ford perhaps most famously getting the treatment in Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny.
The tech was also used in Martin Scorsese’s 2019 mob film The Irishman, which rewound the clock for Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci, and Al Pacino.
In fact, according to director Antoine Fuqua, Denzel may be de-aged using AI for a continuation of The Equalizer film franchise.
In an interview with NME, Fuqua said of using the technology: ‘I definitely thought about it a lot. Especially now with the new technology and the AI and all of that kind of stuff.
‘Is there a story to be told about how [McCall] became this person – the younger version. I’ve had that conversation with Richard Wenk [who co-wrote all three Equalizer films] quite a bit.’
However, there’s no evidence that Denzel was de-aged in Gladiator II, so we can only credit classic movie magic (hair and makeup) and really good genes for his timeless appearance.
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